Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-21
THE G.WRIZZ."
The Overland Flyer on the G.. X. L. 4
P.---lts Inirial Trap Across Two
States---A Race With Rivai---How

States---A Race with a Rivai---HOw
the Train was Christened.
The Chicago Herald of this morning
column article descriptive of
he first trip of the new c., R. l. s. P.
Missouri river flyer, which reaches Rock
Island at 1880 a IN. The following ex>
tract is taken from the Heratds account:
The G-Whizz left Chicago at 1880
o'clock Sunday evening. Persons who
were in the big stone depot, fronting on
Van Buren, street at that hour, saw
great engine cough once or twice under
the southern archway and then drag
string of dude cars out into the darkness.
The train was the Rock Islands flyer"
to Council Bluffs-General Manager st. |
Johns G>Whizz to the Missouri river.
1t was the first time the G-Whizz had |
ever made the trip. 1t was scheduled to |
cut the regular running time to the Bluffs |
fully five hours. and to DO this the G. |
Whizz had to hump itself.
The man at the throttle was James |
Tucker, grizzled, keen>eyed engineer,
who has been in the service of the road |
since 1854. The CONDUCTOR proud and |
happy man of sturdy stature-wss Char
ley FINLEY, who has been a trusty SER
want of the company for the past thirty,
two years. To these gentlemen WAS
given the honor of taking the G.Whlzz
over the first one hundred miles or more
of its long and terrific journey. General
Passenger Agent HolbrOok was the only
official of the road on the train. He sat
in the smoking room with gold watch
i'll his lap. When the hands of the chro-
nometer marked 7:30 o'clock, he pulled
his soft travelling hat over his eyes and
grinned. Engineer Tucker pulled the
throtter. and amid torpedo salute. the
first regular flyer over the Rock Island
road to the Bluffs shot out of the archway
and among the red and green eyes of the
switches. As the lights of the city grew
fewer, the speed of the G-Whzz in
creased until al last the blazing locomo-
tive and its brilliantly lighted consort
looked like comet with dazzling tail.
Tue night was warm starlight. Patches
of snow lay upon ihe earth. but the flight
of the train made them look like fitting
moonbeams.
1--WE are running a mile minute. "
said Conductor FINLEY as he dropped his
lantern in the smoking-room. The ashes
on General Passenger Agent Holbrook's
cigar crumbled and fell upon the floor.
The conductor wiped his chin with his
big right hand and smiled at his com
panions. A red headed cinder fitted by
the windows and then everybody eyed
the man in the gold lace.
Making her all right. eh?" said Mr.
Holbrook.
Fifty miles out and right on time,
replied Conductor FINLEY with auothe
smile.
Thus the train ran. 1t had wings anC
flame ard all the other essentials for I
spectacular but comfortable flight.
sped across the state of Illinois in almos
five hours and crossed the great bridg
over the Mississippi river at Rock IslanC
with merry clickety click At ever
station along the line great crowds gath
cred to cheer the furious travellers. A
Davenport Engineer Pliny Wells, vet
eran on the road, took charge of the 10
: connective. and Milton Ackley, ticke
puncher from away back, relieved Con
ductor FINLEY. Then the train began il
!, race across the thirsty state of Iowa.
1t was early morning when Mr.. Ho
brook rolled out of his berth and locke
c about him. He found that he had passe
Des Moines-over $50 miles from Chicae
at o'clock and that Engineer Ere
Gould was at the throttle ana sending
old iron horse around the knobs of Il
country with the same speed maintsint
the night before by Engineers Tucker al
Wells. Crowds greeted the train at eve
depot Some of the people cheere
while others hurled their hats into the 8
and danced like 1niuns. A young mi
with yellow teeth and wearing rattl
snake ulster and ground hog skin C.
l. stood at one end of the platform.
watched the approaching train with OPP
- mouth and bullying eyes. Nothing a
t, tracted his attention but the great loo
motive, the string of pretty cars and t
:. cloud of dust, sparks and hair flying
81 the wake of the Pullman. When the c
CINE Numbered by the depot the big ov
,o grown boy lesped into the air and yell,
io &c Whizz."
General Manager St. Johns flyer /
been christened. and through the dust
men in the cab saw the delirious chri
ener digging" across the country "
his raisin box feet slipping on the $
snow at every step.
At Nicola the G>Whizz met the St. P
flyer, an opposition tram, also out on
initial trip Both trains left Chicago
the same minute, and, although they
IS, travelled over four hundred and fifty m
without once seeing each other, t
came up to Nicola almost abreast
is, tracks of the two roads from this poin
Council Bluffs run side by side. and W
the two flyers met Monday morning tt
Us. was q heap of fun. The st. Paul
SC. was a lighter train than the Rock lsls
and, having got good start out of Ne
went tearing out for the Bluffs lik
scared dog Engineer Gould, howe
was in 40 mood to take snybody's d.
So be set the throttle few notches hi
# and the G-Whizz went after the 10
lu' some and venal contemporary" like
shot. larQ py YarQ the hOcK Is
train crept up on the St. Paul flyer. l
up finally it came up abreast of it. Tn
great race ensued. The passenger
both trains became wild with EXETER
.62 and screamed like mad men to one an
er As the GWhizz shot into the
Jun amid cloud of smoke and steam
Pullman car porters ran out upon the
platform and made grimaces at the
fellows on the St. Paul train. who
completely bowed down. The novel
of two initial flyers continued with s.
until Council Bluffs was reached.
the Northwestern's flyer, also the fl
her the season, came up. Then all
trains bowled into the transfer depot
IS the Rock Island few yards in the
Persons living at the Bluffs say tht
spectacle presented by the rival trai
they approached the city was the
they had ever seen.
Elections.